"Gay HS" reality check

[orange]

They would be allowed into Harvey Milk -- they don't discriminate based on sexuality, believe it or not.

I realize this, but then why identify it as a gay high school exactly?

Can we make a new high school and refer to it as a 'straight' high school, but make sure we don't exclude any homosexuals and assume they'll enroll?

[chequita guevara]

There is a difference between segregation and seperation.

[GePap]

These kids go to this school becuase their peers make their lives a living hell. No kid chooses to go to this school becuase they want an "all gay" experience..they go to this school becuase they eno****er a hostile learning environment at other schools!

To me, this makes the situation OBVIOUSLY, CLEARLY, UNDENIABLY DIFFERENT from an attempt by any group to segregate itself voluntarilly.

[Asher]

Originally posted by obiwan18
Eh, but that's different.

Everyone has an opportunity to attend these schools, if you are good enough.

Again, do your research: Everyone has an opportunity to attend this school too, it's just "geared" towards bullied gay students.

As for the Arabic schools, are they public or private? Are they restricted to Muslims only and still receive public funding?

They're public, and anyone can join but it's geared towards Muslims.

This is Canada, for christ sake, we have two public districts in most cities: Catholic and Protestant.

Again, I'm not against setting up a haven- if you care so much for these kids to do something now, then raise up the funds for a private school, "for gays only."

Don't try to leech off public funds.

Again, help me out here: Either way you're paying these kids' educations, what difference does it make if in one case it goes to waste (regular school), or in another one it actually makes a more productive member of society? In either case, you're spending essentially the same money.

This isn't like they need to construct a big elaboriate school with walls thick enough to withstand throbbing gay orgies, they work out of an old office building to save costs.

You're going to have to assert that having kids switch schools somehow costs more money than having them stay in a school where they're constantly bullied. Good luck.

And for the record, religion and school have been formally mixed with public funds in Canada -- and I don't see you complaining.

Wonder why -- God fearing people seem to have double standards.

[Asher]

Originally posted by orange
I realize this, but then why identify it as a gay high school exactly?

That was the New York Post who did that, not the school board.

Can we make a new high school and refer to it as a 'straight' high school, but make sure we don't exclude any homosexuals and assume they'll enroll?

Erm, that's 99.9% of the schools in America Orange.

[Ben Kenobi]

Do my own research, eh?

has operated a small public school, the Harvey Milk School, that accepted gay students who had either dropped out or couldn't cope at a mainstream high school.

I call band-aid. A better solution would be to make all students safe from bullying. There is no reason why homosexual students should not be able to function in a regular classroom, if we can reduce the bullying.

Going down this route will just intensify the bullying. "I hate gays.. If I make this kid's life hell, he will have to go to the 'special' school."

Either way you're paying these kids' educations, what difference does it make if in one case it goes to waste (regular school), or in another one it actually makes a more productive member of society? In either case, you're spending essentially the same money.

So we should just accept the fact that bullying is inevitable? Crack down on bullying and we would not have this problem.

And for the record, religion and school have been formally mixed with public funds in Canada -- and I don't see you complaining.

First off, I went to a public school. I don't have any particular fondness for the parochial schools.

Secondly, in Canada all parents sending their children to private schools still have to pay school taxes to the public system. Is this different in the US?

Finally, do parochial schools get public funding here in Canada? Are these schools open to all students, or just to nembers of the particular religious denomination?

[Asher]

Originally posted by obiwan18
I call band-aid. A better solution would be to make all students safe from bullying.

*sigh*
We've already dealt with this.

So we should just accept the fact that bullying is inevitable? Crack down on bullying and we would not have this problem.

Have you not read this thread or anything?
Of course we should crack down on bullying, it's just basically impossible (especially with the New York schools) to effectively do that. It's a pipe dream. This is a band-aid solution and not a real one, because we have no other choice right now until students cut the crap (good luck with that any time soon).

I'd rather have a band-aid on my wound rather than leaving it open to have bullies pour salt on it until they get bored like you seem to propose.

Finally, do parochial schools get public funding here in Canada?

Yup, absolutely. They are public schools, just religion-based.

Are these schools open to all students, or just to nembers of the particular religious denomination?

They are open to all students, just like Harvey Milk is.

[mindseye]

I'm not saying it should be illegal or shut down -- I'm just saying that in principle, separating teenagers on the basis of sexual orientation will not necessarily improve their social outlook in the long run, in spite of some exceptional success stories.

Who's talking about separating teens on the basis of orientation?

The school is not for gays, it is for the tiny percentage of kids (primarily ethnic gays) who have been bullied out of school.

No more straw men, please.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Asher
I told people from the start that I think it's a good idea, a lot of kids just get sh*t from their immature classmates for being gay. For some people it gets bad enough that they have to drop out, or otherwise are academically and socially at a huge disadvantage over it.

Offering a school as a safe haven (I used those exact words before, too) is a good thing, and the people who try to stop it aren't being very sympathetic. A lot of them don't make a lot of sense, like saying it's the start of segregation again. Hello FUD, welcome.

Imagine that, immature adolescents? What will we have next?!

[Verto]

Instead of wasting money on building a separate school for homosexuals, why don't they actually enforce the rules of the school (ie, no harassment, etc).

[MrFun]

Originally posted by mindseye

I'm not saying it should be illegal or shut down -- I'm just saying that in principle, separating teenagers on the basis of sexual orientation will not necessarily improve their social outlook in the long run, in spite of some exceptional success stories.

Who's talking about separating teens on the basis of orientation?

The school is not for gays, it is for the tiny percentage of kids (primarily ethnic gays) who have been bullied out of school.

No more straw men, please.

well, ok then -- what straights want to go to a school designated primarily for gays?

[Asher]

*** hags.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Asher
*** hags.

ah, ok

[GePap]

Originally posted by Verto
Instead of wasting money on building a separate school for homosexuals, why don't they actually enforce the rules of the school (ie, no harassment, etc).

Becuase doing so is politically unnpopular and would cost far, far more and consume much more time. Also, they are adding 100 seats folks..that is peanuts.

[st_swithin]

If you don't want any more straw men, don't go to Italy.